Bitter-Sweet Business

Writing can be such a brutal business, filled with highs and lows, sweat and sweetness. Just as I'm celebrating new contracts, I get the word that a writer I love and person I admire is being cut by his publisher. This isn't the first time this has happened to someone I know. Friends get cut by their respective publishers all the time. But the frequency doesn't make it any easier to absorb. It only makes my own success bitter-sweet.

Publishing is about numbers, plain and simple. It's easy to understand from a business prospective. Authors who write books that sell will continue to get published. Those that don't sell, will not, at least not with that specific publisher. Publishers are in business to make profits, just like any other company. They have shareholders that must be considered and expenses that must be covered. It's no different from the corner pizza parlor or Microsoft - it all boils down to sales to keep the wheels turning. Non-performing books will be cast aside to make room for potential moneymakers.

From an artist's prospective, it sucks.

But just like in love, there is life after being dumped. Many of my friends have gone on to find new publishers and to continue with their careers. Some with even greater success. It just hurts to see them hurt.